Other Worlds Austin, Austin’s first and only festival dedicated to SciFi filmmaking, is kicking off its second annual affair with the US premiere of the brilliant thriller, BOY 7. Directed by Özgür Yildirim, the tense film takes David Kross (THE READER, COMPANIONS) and Emilia Schüle (NAUGHTY GIRL, FATHERHOOD) on a wild ride through a dystopian world that is suspenseful, surprising, and visually exceptional.

BOY 7 arrives at Other Worlds Austin after an interesting history. This BOY 7 is the German language adaptation of a popular Young Adult novel, the same novel that also inspired the Dutch film (also called BOY 7) that premiered internationally last year. "Both films are great," says Bears Fonté, OWA Founder and Director of Programming, "but I fell in love with Özgür Yildirim's film when I saw it at Fantasia. It’s an adrenaline ride from start to finish, sort of like a SciFi RUN LOLA RUN. The style, the pacing, the emotional chemistry between the leads, they feel visceral and grounded despite being in a very slick, authoritarian world."

In the film, A young man (Sam) wakes up in the middle of the night on the tracks of a subway tunnel. He can’t remember his name or how he got there. When he sees himself on a wanted picture, he realizes that his life is in extreme danger. There is not much time to think, his pursuers are hot on his heels. Unexpectedly, he finds a diary, written in his own handwriting. Finally, when a young woman (Lara) appears, who has the same burn as him on her left hand, a dangerous journey into the past begins.

Other Worlds Austin supports and encourages diversity in the film industry through programming content that embraces inclusiveness. From its very start, OWA has always had an equal number of female programmers as male programmers selecting the slate for the festival. As part as its continuing effort to discover and celebrate female voices working in the genre field, we are proud to announce a new award for this year’s festival – the Mary Shelley Award, awarded to the best film that furthers the involvement and representation of women in the SciFi genre. This award is sponsored by Canine Productions, producers of award winning indie shorts, music videos and documentaries.

Canine Productions is thrilled to sponsor the OWA Mary Shelly Award. “Filmmakers, like all artists, thrive when they are recognized and encouraged,” says Producer Ilona Rossman Ho. “We hope this award inspires women to continue to create worlds, imagine characters and share their vision. I want my children to see strong female protagonists as the norm not the exception.”

Science fiction is a full of creativity and imagination, yet often lacking women both onscreen and behind the camera. A diversity gap study conducted in 2014 by writers Lee and Low of SciFi and Fantasy films in yearly and multi-year samplings indicated that only 12% of protagonists are women. This statistic isn’t surprising as it mirrors the Hollywood trend in general.

The Mary Shelley Award is named for the author of “Frankenstein.” the original SciFi novel – a work that examines the human condition and the positive and dangerous possibilities of science. The award will grant $500 to one film, either a short or a feature, already selected to play the Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival, December 3-5, 2015.

"Beware; I am fearless, and therefore powerful”

— Mary Shelley

The winner will be determined by a special jury of female film industry professionals:

* Marjorie Baumgarten, Film Critic and Senior Editor at the Austin Chronicle, and member of the Association of Women Film Journalists.

* Kristy Breneman, Creative Director and Programmer for the Atlanta Film Festival, one of the largest and longest-running festivals in the country.

* Mynette Louie, Independent Spirit Award-Winning Producer and President at Gamechanger Films, the first for-profit film fund dedicated exclusively to financing narrative features directed by women.

About Canine Productions: Award winning indie shorts, music videos and documentaries. We're enthusiastic about making a difference in how women and girls are portrayed in media. We actively support women in front of and behind the camera and the men who collaborate with them. Canine Productions is located in Seattle – home to outstanding indie filmmakers.

“I will kill the birdy”

Parsec the Space Kitty says “I will kill the birdy.” He was supposed to say something about badges, which are only $60 for 10 screenings, or $6.00 per film. “Stop mocking me, fire bird,” adds Parsec, who was recently installed as the Other Worlds Austin 2015 mascot.

This year’s festival includes opening US Premiere BOY 7, two less than the number of lives Parsec is risking by not fulfilling his mascot duties. More films will be announced in the next week, so follow us on facebook and twitter.

Last year’s festival included the World Premiere of feature APT 3D, the World Premiere of a new cut of documentary BACKYARD BLOCKBUSTERS, and the World Premiere of mini-feature THE SUN DEVIL AND THE PRINCESS. We were also proud to serve as the US Premiere of Hungarian thriller AURA, Dutch drama CAPSULE, and the cloning closing night hit THE RECONSTRUCTION OF WILLIAM ZERO. The rest of our features were all Texas Premieres, including the Audience Award winner TIME LAPSE, which played over 60 festivals last year, but none in Texas until OWA. Rounding out the first year of films were three audience-thrilling shorts programs, with filmmakers from all around the globe exploring every corner of the SciFi genre.

Your seat will be guaranteed as long as you arrive at the theater at least 15 minutes before the screening time. At 15 minutes, tickets will go on sale to the general public. Late arriving badgeholders will have to go to the back of the general admission line.

“I have the prettiest fur,” adds Parsec, for no apparent reason.

Don’t delay.Quantities are limited. After a great and sold-out inaugural year in 2014, we expect the festival to sell out again.

By Dan Repp —Creating a new world or science involves describing and setting rules for it, which can often lead to a ton of exposition. It's really difficult to find a way to balance exposition with plot and character development.

YOU JUST MIGHT BE A SCI-FI GEEK IF...

By Debbie Cerda — I wrote the following post on my personal blog almost nine years ago, immediately after the second Fantastic Fest. Most of the statements hold true today, although cell phones nowadays resemble HAL from 2001 rather than how the Samsung x475 reminded me of one of the spaceships from HEAVY METAL.

LEAGUE OF MALEVOLENT COMPUTERS

By Don Elfant —Evil computers have been a staple of SciFi films since NOVAC (Nuclear Operative Variable Automatic Computer) in the film GOG (1954). We’ve counted down the most evil movie/TV computers, giving each a “baseball card” with their vital info.